MotoGP cancels Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island after rain grounds medical helicopter

Race cancelled after the helicopter could not fly

Organisers cancelled the Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island on Sunday, 25 October, after persistent rain and poor visibility kept the medical helicopter on the ground. Heavy rain had been falling since Saturday night, and the circuit is more than 45 minutes by road from Melbourne, so MotoGP relies entirely on air transport if a rider needs urgent evacuation. Race director Graham Webber stressed that the regulations require a quick transfer to hospital. The main race had been scheduled for 14:00 local time (05:00 CET), but organisers pushed activity back through the morning. The warm-up and the Moto3 and Moto2 races were called off first, and the MotoGP race followed.

Limited visibility has resulted in the cancellation of the Australian MotoGP.

No race was run at all. Instead, the riders completed a single lap behind the safety car and stopped on the main straight to wave to the fans, a farewell gesture to a track that has staged the event since 1997.

Martín out, Márquez stays on top

Marc Márquez of Ducati took pole position and won the sprint on Saturday, 24 October, which left him at the top of the championship going into Sunday. Jorge Martín, his fellow Spaniard riding for Aprilia, crashed during that sprint and was ruled out of the race. Martín had been the main rival to Márquez for the title, and the cancellation kept the gap between them where the sprint had left it.

The only confirmed injury is a non-displaced fracture of the distal radius.

The team added that Martín will not have to fly home to Spain for surgery and will instead receive treatment after the injury is assessed. Whether he can ride at Sepang in the next round remains open, although one Portuguese outlet reported that he is trying to compete there. Martín leaves Australia 10 points behind Márquez. Marco Bezzecchi of Aprilia holds third place, a gap of 50 points to the leader.

Four rounds left and a Qatar question

The season has four rounds remaining, and the next stop is Malaysia at Sepang. Il Messaggero reported that Qatar is not yet confirmed because of security risks in the Middle East. The calendar then closes with Portugal and Spain, where the final round is at Valencia. According to the same outlet, Australia was round 18 of the season. Márquez enters the final stretch with a clear advantage, and the remaining rounds will decide whether Martín can recover the 10 points that separate them.

Phillip Island's farewell and the move to Adelaide

Phillip Island has hosted the Australian round since 1997, but the circuit's contract runs out this year. From 2027 the race will move to Adelaide under a six-year deal, and it will be the first MotoGP round held on a street circuit in the middle of a city. The promoter had pushed for a shift to Albert Park in Melbourne, where the Australian Formula One race is held, while the Victorian state government insisted the race stay on the island. When those talks stalled, South Australia secured the event. The cancellation means the last Australian round at Phillip Island ended without a race, with only the lap behind the safety car to mark the occasion.